Darren Weeks was an ordinary “working stiff” with a passion for investing. As a teenager, he began investing in penny stocks and mutual funds. He bought his first rental property as a student at the University of Alberta. But somewhere along the line, Darren started to blend in with the pack, to “go with the flow.” For several years, he did what everyone else was doing – working 9 to 5 to make ends meet and looking forward to the weekends. He worked in accounting and sales roles for a variety of organizations and never felt like he was getting the most out of life.

Everything changed in 2001, when a friend recommended Darren read a book called “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki. The book so perfectly articulated all of his beliefs about money and reignited the passion for investing he had in his youth. Shortly after reading the book, he made the life-altering decision to start Fast Track to Cash Flow, a company that would teach Canadians the principles laid out in the book, in addition to the lessons Darren had learned about money over the years. And the best part, all of Fast Track’s seminars would be free of charge!

Fast forward to present time. Darren has amassed an investment portfolio consisting of over 5,000 rental properties across North America, tens of millions of dollars in energy interests and hundreds of acres of land. He is also the largest individual shareholder in the Port of Falmouth, the world’s largest cruise ship terminal, which is operated by the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines.

Key Points

How to find capital investors

Raising capital for other people’s deals

Networking with potential investors

Don’t mention a return to your investors, instead ask them what would make them happy

Working for someone in return for experience

Lightning Questions

What was your biggest hurdle getting started in real estate investing, and how did you overcome it?

Darren lacked money and the rules around borrowing money. Darren was creative in his approach and bought almost a dozen properties without any money of his own.

Do you have a personal habit that contributes to your success

Darren practices gratitude daily and credits much of his productivity to the Hoffman Institute